Portable edge printer and coater



Feb. 10, 1970 w. c. 'rucKR 3,494,703

' PORTABLE EDGE PRINTER AND comm Filed Oct. 25, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

OOQQOOO Warren 6. Tucker INVENTOR.

BY W izzq Feb. 10, 1970 w. c. TUGKER PORTABLE EDGE PRINTER AND COATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25. 1967 R. m w m a. m I 1 C M w w w x a 8 4 v 4 m 4 z w u United States Patent 3,494,703 PORTABLE EDGE PRINTER AND COATER Warren C. Tucker, 5444 Mitscher, Louisville, Ky. 40214 Filed Oct. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 677,985 Int. Cl. B4411 3/28 US. Cl. 401218 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ink applying roller device for surface decoration. A transfer roller is journalled on a frame in rolling contact with reservoir and surface coating rollers. The coating roller has a resilient body supporting a convex-surface skin and is smaller in axial width than the transfer roller. Springs yieldably hold the reservoir and coating rollers in rolling contact with the transfer roller. A handle is connected to the frame on that side of the transfer roller remote from the coating roller.

This invention relates to liquid applying roller devices for coating surfaces and more particularly to decorative printing of surfaces by means of an engraved roller surface carried by a portable, self-inking roller machine.

A need exists for the finishing of surfaces such as edges on articles made of wood, composition board, plastics, metal, etc. A relatively small and portable ink applying device would therefore be suitable for this purpose if capable of applying ink in an engraved texture pattern to edge surfaces of articles such as furniture either before or after the parts are assembled. The portable roller inking device should however be versatile in use so as to accommodate both fiat and curved surfaces and have facilities under control of the operator to regulate the quantity of ink and the extent of the surface over which the ink is applied. The roller device must also be relatively simple to use and disassemble in order to reload the ink reservoir or change the engraved coating surface in order to meet different needs or requirements.

In accordance with the present invention, a roller device is provided wherein a support frame mounts a reservoir roller and an ink applying roller both urged into rolling contact with a transfer roller. The rollers are mounted by the frame for rotation about parallel axes extending substantially perpendicular to an elongated handle extending rearwardly from the frame. The ink applying roller disposed forwardly of the frame is movably mounted by guide slots with clearance to accommodate oscillatory movement while it is rolled over the surface being coated in order to avoid starving of the ink supply by constant rolling pressure between the rollers on the same surface areas. Further, the ink applying roller is formed with a convex surface and is provided with a relatively resilient body so that the surface area engaged by the roller may be regulated by varying the pressure/applied through the handle of the device. Also, in order to insure that no dry spots will develop on the ink applying roller, the rollers are progressively reduced in axial width from the reservoir roller to the ink applying roller. The reservoir roller has an air vent to preclude any air lock from interfering with capillary feed of ink through container perforations covered by a porous material to the transfer roller. Facilities for accelerating capillary feed in order to initiate operation of the device is provided in the form of a tube for 3,494,703 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 ice pressurizing the interior of the reservoir container through the air vent.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the roller device of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the device.

FIGURE 4 is a top sectional view taken substantially on the plane indicated by section line 44 in FIGURE 3 showing the reservoir roller.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 55 in FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the ink applying roller device in its entirety. The roller device generally referred to by reference numeral 10 comprises a frame assembly generally referred to by reference numeral 12 to which an elongated handle 14 is secured. The handle 14 extends rearwardly from the frame assembly in spaced relation to an ink applying roller 16 projecting forwardly from the frame assembly and adapted to be held in rolling contact with the surface 19, for example, which is to be coated. The ink applying roller 16 is maintained in rolling contact With a transfer roller 18 through which ink is transferred from the reservoir roller 20 which is also held in rolling contact with the transfer roller 18.

The frame assembly 12 includes a pair of parallel spaced leg portions 22 rearwardly interconnected by a back portion 24 to which a pair of right angle bracket members 26 are secured by means of the fasteners 28. The handle 14 is secured to the bracket just above the back portion 24 of the frame assembly by means of the clamp assembly 30. Interconnecting the lower leg portions 22 with the upper leg portions 32 of the brackets 26, is a yoke member 34. The lower ends of the yoke member are secured to the lower leg portions 22 by means of a supporting axle assembly 36 for the'transfer roller 18 while the upper portion of the yoke member 34 is secured to the legs 32 of the bracket members by means of the fasteners 38. It should of course be appreciated, that other structural arrangements for the frame assembly may be adopted without departing from the principles of the present invention. It is essential however, that the frame assembly establish a fixed rotational axis for the transfer roller 18 and at the same time removably mount the rollers 16 and 20, all roller axes being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle 14 so that force exerted on the rollers through the handle will produce rolling of the rollers over the surface 19.

The transfer roller 18 is a soft roller having an ink absorbent surface portion 38 of a resiliency similar to that of the body of roller 16 but with a cylindrical surface. The roller 16 on the other hand includes an inner, cylindrical core 40 made of a relatively rigid material for supporting annular roller body 42 made of a resilient material such as a neoprene sponge. The'roller body 42 is covered by a non-porous skin 44 which is externally engraved to form a printing surface. A sealant 46 as shown in FIGURE 5 is applied to' the axial end rims 3 of the roller between the outer skin 44 and the roller body 42 in order to protect the material 42 from chemical attack. The roller 16 is rotatably mounted by spaced bearing assemblies 48 on a mandrel support shaft 50 between non-circular axial end portions 52.

The support shaft 50 is movably supported between the leg portions 22 of the frame assembly. Toward this end, guide slots 54 are formed in the leg portions opening at the forward ends thereof so as to slidably receive with clearance, the end portions,52 of the support shaft 50. Axial clearance between the leg portions 22 is also provided by appropriately dimensioning the axial distance between the shoulders 56 on the shaft 50 as shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 5. This clearance accommodates or permits a certain amount of oscillatory movement of the roller 16 while it is being rolled along the surface 19 under controlof the operators necessarily variable hand pressure.

The roller 16 is yieldably held in rolling contact with the transfer roller 18 by means of a pair of springs 58 which urge the support shaft 50 and the roller in a rearward direction toward the handle 14. The opposite ends of the springs 58 are therefore connected to anchor fasteners 60 secured to the leg portions 22 of the frame assembly and fasteners 62 axially projecting from the opposite ends of the support shaft 50. The springs 58 thus yieldably hold the roller 16 in rolling contact with the transfer roller 18 so that ink may be applied to the non-porous surface of the roller 16 formed by the externally engraved skin 44. This surface as shown is convex so that by regulating the pressure applied to the surface 19 being coated, the roller may be flattened to any desired degree in view of the resiliency of the roller body 42 in order to correspondingly vary the contact surface area being coated. In view of the axial clearance between the support shaft 50 and the frame assembly, the aforementioned oscillatory movement of the roller 16 will insure the continuous supply of ink. The transfer roller 18 being axially wider than the roller 16 will also preclude development of any dry spots. The continuous supply of ink is further assured by making the reservoir roller 20 axially wider than the transfer roller.

The reservoir roller is also yieldably held in engagement with the transfer roller by means of the springs 64 the opposite ends of which are hooked to the anchor fasteners 66 on the yoke member 34 of the frame assembly and the bearing elements 68 and 70 projecting axially from the reservoir roller 20 as more clearly seen in FIGURE 4. Grooves 72 are therefore formed in the bearing elements for receiving the ends of the springs 64. Also, the bearing elements are slidably receivedin the slots 74 formed in the yoke member 34. The slots 74 are provided with right angled portions 76 that open forwardly from the sides of the yoke member 34 so that the reservoir roller 20 may be removed for replacement or recharging purposes. As more clearly seen in FIGURE 4, the reservoir roller consists of a cylindrical container 78 closed at one end by the wall 80 to which the bearing element 68 is secured and closed at the other end by a removable closure 82 to which the bearing element 70 is secured. The cylindrical wall of the container 78 is provided with a plurality of perforations 84 through which ink may flow. The perforations are covered by a porous covering fabric 86 sewn along a diagonal bias seam 87 to form the external cylindrical surface of the reservoir roller in rolling contact with the transfer roller 18. Thus, when the container 78 is charged with a liquid body of ink, there will be a capillary feed supply of ink through the perforations 84 and the cover material 86 to the transfer roller in response to rotation of the reservoir roller by the transfer roller provided the container 78 is vented to atmosphere. In order to preclude air lock from preventing capillary action due to the viscosity of the ink and the flow restriction characteristic of the fabric 86, the interior of the container 78 is vented to atmosphere through an orifice vent passage 88 formed in the bearing element 70.

As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, a plastic tube 90 may be placed over the portion of the bearing element 70 projecting from the frame assembly in order to pressurize the interior of the container 78 through the vent passage 88. In this fashion, capillary feed flow may be accelerated in order to initiate inking. Once a continuous supply of ink to the ink applying roller 16 has been established, pressurization of the reservoir roller 20'is no longer necessary and the tube 90 may then be removed for normal venting of the container.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A surface coating device comprising a frame, an elongated handle secured to the frame, a transfer roller rotatably mounted by the frame about a fixed axis substantially perpendicular to the handle, a reservoir roller mounted by the frame in rolling contact with the transfer roller, an apply roller, means movably mounting the apply roller on the frame for linear displacement and oscillation in a plane generally parallel to the handle, and means biasing the apply roller toward the handle into rolling contact with the transfer roller.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said rollers progressively vary in axial width to insure complete distribution of fluid on the apply roller in view of said oscillation thereof.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said apply roller includes an inner cylindrical core made of relatively rigid material, an annular body supported on said core made of relatively resilient material and a nonporous skin externally covering said body to form an axially convex surface in rolling contact with the transfer roller.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said movable mounting means for the apply roller comprises a support shaft having non-circular end portions between which the apply roller is rotatably mounted, said end portions being slidably received with lateral clearance within guide slots formed in the frame to accommodate said oscillation of the apply roller.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said reservoir roller comprises a cylindrical container having perforations therein and closed axial end portions, axially projecting bearing elements secured to said axial end portions and rotatably mounted by the frame, one of said bearing elements having a vent passage formed therein and a porous cover externally mounted on the container over the perforations.

6. The combination of claim 5 including means attached to said one of the bearing elements for pressurizing the container through the vent passage to accelerate capillary flow of fluid from the container through the porous cover.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said apply roller includes an inner cylindrical core made of relatively rigid material, an annular body supported on said core made of relatively resilient material and a non-porous skin externally covering said body to form an axially convex surface in rolling contact with the transfer roller.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein said movable mounting means for the apply roller comprises a support shaft having non-circular end portions between which the apply roller is rotatably mounted, said end portions being slidably received with lateral clearance within guide 5 6 s 1ots formed in the frame to accommodate said oscilla- FOREIGN PATENTS the aPPlY 171,397 5/1952 Austria.

References Cited 16,821 3/1934 Austraha.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner 957,501 5/1910 Du Brau 1o1 331 1,215,900 2/1917 Black et a1. 101 331 U.S.C1.X/R.

2,004,576 6/1935 Kirsch 101331 101-331 

